jot and tittle
/ˌdʒɒt n̩ ˈtɪtl̩/
Detailed reference entry for the English word "jot-and-tittle", 14-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Wiktionary, and usage frequency ranked against an open word-frequency list covering the top 100,000 English words. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "jot-and-tittle" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "jot-and-tittle" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.
The verdict
“jot and tittle” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 14
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Often preceded by every: a smallest detail; (uncountable) the smallest details collectively.
Compare similar words
See how jot and tittle compares against similar English words.
Browse all word comparisons →| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | jot and tittle |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌdʒɒt n̩ ˈtɪtl̩/ |
| Letters | 14 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “jot and tittle” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for jot and tittle is 14 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌdʒɒt n̩ ˈtɪtl̩/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Often preceded by every: a smallest detail; (uncountable) the smallest details collectively.".
No misspelling variants are generated for jot and tittle in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: A reference to Matthew 5:18 in the Bible (King James Version; spelling modernized): “For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle, shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” The Koine Greek phrase is ἰῶτα ἓν … Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is jot and tittle, spelled J-O-T- -A-N-D- -T-I-T-T-L-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Definition
- 1Often preceded by every: a smallest detail; (uncountable) the smallest details collectively.
Etymology
A reference to Matthew 5:18 in the Bible (King James Version; spelling modernized): “For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle, shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” The Koine Greek phrase is ἰῶτα ἓν ἢ μία κεραία (iôta hèn ḕ mía keraía). Jot (“the smallest letter or stroke of any writing, iota”) is derived from Middle English jote (“jot, tittle, whit”), from Latin iōta (“the Greek letter iota (Ι, ι)”), from Ancient Greek ἰῶτα (iôta, “the letter Ι, ι, the smallest in the alphabet; (figurative) a very small part of writing, jot”), from Phoenician 𐤉 (y /yōd/). Tittle (“small dot, stroke, or diacritical mark; (figurative) small, insignificant amount, modicum, speck”) is derived from Middle English title (“small written mark or stroke; smallest part”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman title, tittle [and other forms], and Middle French titele, title (“inscription”) (modern French titre), and from their etymon Latin titulus (“epitaph, inscription”); further etymology uncertain, but thought to be of Etruscan origin.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Cite this page
Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY-SA). Copy the citation:
PlainSpell, “jot and tittle, English word data” (May 6, 2026). Derived from Wiktionary (kaikki.org, CC BY-SA) and an open word-frequency list. https://plainspell.com/en/word/jot-and-tittle
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "jot and tittle"?
What does "jot and tittle" mean?
How do you pronounce "jot and tittle"?
What is the origin of the word "jot and tittle"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “jot and tittle”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is J-O-T- -A-N-D- -T-I-T-T-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌdʒɒt n̩ ˈtɪtl̩/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Nearby English words
Other entries that begin with the letter J in our English index: